The emperors of L.A.'s soft serve ice cream

Joshua Lurie

The founders of Carvel and Dairy Queen may both have claims on the creation of soft serve ice cream, but regardless of the origins of the addictive stuff, it's showing up on the menus of more and more restaurants and dessert shops. And not just in old school flavors, but with fun toppings, seasonal fruit and premium dairy from farms like Straus Family Creamery. Here are eight great places for soft serve in L.A., listed alphabetically.

Big Gay Ice Cream at the Ace Hotel —Downtown’s Fashion District is still gearing up for the launch of a full-fledged Big Gay Ice Cream location, but until Douglas Quint and Bryan Petroff debut, they've hooked the Ace Hotel up with a soft serve machine and some of their signature toppings. The hotel’s rooftop lounge, Upstairs, features soft serve with toasted coconut, 5 Leaves granola, chocolate or rainbow sprinkles. 929 S. Broadway, Downtown (213) 623-3233, www.acehotel.com/losangeles.

CVT — Joe Nicchi and wife Tyler roam the streets of L.A. in their vintage two-tone truck that more or less matches the colors of their soft serve flavors: chocolate and vanilla. Get each flavor solo in a cake cone, or join both in a delicious twist. Possible toppings include rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, or if you prefer a savory note, a dusting of sea salt. www.cvtsoftserve.com.

Jon & Vinny's — Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo have found their sweet spot with their latest restaurant, which features Italian American comfort food and a strong commitment to local sourcing. Their Soft Serve features a base from California’s Straus Family Creamery. Order chocolate, strawberry or swirl, served with a wooden stick to spoon silky soft serve from a branded cup. 412 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 334-3369, www.jonandvinnys.com.

Pitfire Pizza —This local fast-casual chain fronted by Paul Hibler also sources soft serve from Straus Family Creamery, since people can’t live on pizza, pasta and salads alone. Pitfire serves one flavor, organic vanilla, which arrives in a cup with toppings of your choice. House caramel sauce and Maldon sea salt is a winning combo, but bittersweet chocolate sauce and extra virgin olive oil are also at your disposal. At the Westwood location, a wall-painted polar bear seemed to look down at our cup longingly, not that we’re sharing. 2018 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 481-9860; and other locations, www.pitfirepizza.com.

Sweet Rose Creamery —Chef Shiho Yoshikawa's menu rotates based on what she findsat the Santa Monica Farmers Market. The branch she owns with Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan near Santa Monica High School is the only location where they sell soft serve. Depending on the time of year, you might find peanut butter, which swirls beautifully with non-dairy Kyoho grape. Vanilla is also a dream with sweet-tart citrus. Honey milk and apricot sorbet feel like long lost cousins. No matter the flavors, this calls for a house-made waffle cone. 826 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 260-2663, www.sweetrosecreamery.com.